Chapter 19: Calm Before the Storm
The days following the Lizard incident felt strange—like the city itself had paused, holding its breath.
Ark watched the news coverage from his bedroom, the glow of the TV casting shadows across the walls. Every station was talking about it. They weren't just replaying footage of the monster smashing through Hell's Kitchen—they were dissecting it, analyzing every detail.
Lois Lane's report remained the most circulated. Calm, composed, and painfully honest.
"Authorities have confirmed that the monstrous creature was none other than Dr. Curt Connors, a respected scientist at Empire State University," Lois said, her voice steady. "Dr. Connors' experiment to regrow his lost arm resulted in a tragic transformation. He remains in custody, still in his mutated form. Officials say he's under heavy sedation at a secure government facility."
They flashed images of the restrained Lizard—massive, scaly, snarling behind reinforced glass walls, thick metal cuffs bolted around his limbs. He looked like something out of a horror film.
The media fed on it. Some reports showed sympathy, focusing on Connors' brilliance and how far desperation could push a man. Others were less forgiving.
And then there was Jameson.
"SPIDER-MENACE!" Jonah's voice practically shook the room. "You see this? THIS is what happens when you let masked freaks swing around unchecked! First, it's Spider-Man. Now, a literal lizard terrorizing our streets! And who's next, huh? A radioactive gorilla?! Lock them all up, I say! Lock! Them! Up!"
Ark muted the TV.
He sat back, staring at the ceiling.
His body still ached from the fight, but his Regeneration had already dulled most of the pain. He felt it working, subtly knitting muscle, soothing bruises. His Radar Sense was sharper than ever. The world felt alive around him—he could sense every little motion outside, every car passing, every heartbeat nearby.
And yet, all he felt was the weight of Connors' face burned into his mind.
He knew Connors wasn't a villain. Just a desperate man who went too far. Someone who wanted to fix himself. Someone who believed he had no other choice.
Ark sighed, pulling up his Trait System out of habit.
> Current Traits:
● Spider Predator Instinct (Passive/Active)
● Titan Physique (Passive)
● Ghost Strategist (Passive/Active)
● Organic Webbing (Active)
● Regeneration (Passive)
● Radar Sense (Passive/Active)
Trait Tokens Remaining: 0
He stared at the list. Every trait, every ability, every power he'd stolen and earned—it was starting to feel like a chain wrapped around him.
Was he really that different from Connors?
---
The next day at Midtown High, the air was thick with gossip.
"Dude, can you believe it?" Flash Thompson's voice carried through the cafeteria. "Our science guy? A giant freaking lizard?! Man, I knew he was weird, but that's another level!"
"I heard he went nuts because of some experiment," a student whispered nearby.
"No kidding. My uncle said they've got him locked up somewhere secret. He's probably gonna be dissected or something," another added, a little too casually.
Liz and MJ sat nearby, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation.
"It's terrifying," Liz muttered. "I mean… anyone could've been caught in that."
MJ glanced over at Ark, who sat alone at his table, quiet as usual.
"Spider-Man was there, though," MJ said, her voice thoughtful. "Without him, it would've been a lot worse."
Flash scoffed. "Pfft, please. Spider-Man caused half the damage! If I'd been there, I would've handled that lizard with one punch."
Ark almost laughed but kept his head down, poking at his lunch. He wasn't in the mood.
He could feel Gwen nearby—she'd been distant all day. Her eyes were hollow, her hands fidgeting with her pen.
She'd worked closely with Connors. This hit her harder than anyone else here.
---
That night, the Parker home felt quieter than usual.
Uncle Ben watched the news, sipping his tea. Aunt May was knitting, her face lined with worry.
Another segment about Connors flashed on the screen, showing his restrained form again.
Ben clicked off the TV and set the remote aside.
"You know, Peter…" Ben began, his voice heavy with thought. "It's easy to look at a man like Dr. Connors and think he's a monster. But sometimes, monsters aren't born. They're made."
Ark looked up from his plate.
Ben continued, "People make choices. Good people. Desperate people. And sometimes those choices… they take you down a road you can't come back from."
May added softly, "I just hope this city can recover from all this. It's getting scarier out there."
Ark said nothing. He couldn't.
Later that night, as the city glimmered outside his window, Ark suited up and slipped out into the night.
---
Crime had changed.
He swung through the streets, stopping a robbery here, breaking up a mugging there—but something felt different.
Some neighborhoods were eerily quiet. No petty gangs, no turf wars. He picked up whispers during patrol—criminals laying low, scared.
Even with his enhanced senses, it was like something heavy hung in the air.
---
Far across the city, in a hidden meeting room beneath an abandoned hotel, New York's underworld was shifting.
Several local crime lords sat around a long table, tense and pale. Their usual bravado was gone.
And standing at the head of the table were two men who didn't belong here.
Black Mask. His face covered in a matte-black skull-like mask, eyes burning with sadistic glee.
Carmine Falcone. Calm, composed, an old-school crime lord with the air of a patient predator.
Black Mask slammed his fist onto the table, sending a wine glass shattering.
"This city's ripe for the taking," he sneered. "While those idiots worry about lizards and spider-freaks, we're gonna carve it up."
Falcone spoke calmly, his voice like silk over steel. "Careful. Spider-Man isn't as simple as the others here think. He's more than just a mask."
Black Mask scoffed. "Then we'll crush him like the rest."
They shared a thin, uneasy truce—for now.
Falcone's men whispered about new shipments already arriving—illegal tech, weapons, hired muscle.
Black Mask's crew was ready to spill blood.
But both had the same goal: Take New York's underworld for themselves.
And Spider-Man was now on their list.
---
Back at his apartment, Ark sat on his windowsill, his body still tingling from the night's patrol.
Suddenly, the Trait System's interface blinked to life, glowing in front of his eyes.
> [Mission Alert: Hidden Threat Detected]
Objective: Investigate the growing organized crime surge and uncover the hidden powers behind it.
Reward: 4 Trait Tokens + 1 Random Trait.
Ark stared at the screen, his pulse steady.
The system wasn't exaggerating—this mission wasn't just about thugs anymore.
He accepted the mission, eyes narrowing as he looked out over the glittering city.
Somewhere out there, devils in suits were already moving.
And this time, it wasn't monsters or mad scientists.
It was something far worse.
---
End of Chapter 19
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